A flexibility sequence for the whole body
Long holds through the hamstrings, hips, chest and spine — the version where range is the point and effort is not.
35MINUTES ON THE MAT · 12 POSES
The whole practice, posted the way a timetable is posted: 12 poses across 35 minutes, each one holding for as long as the ruler below says it holds. At 2.5 MET that is about 107 kcal for a 70 kg adult, at once through.
ਸਰੋਤ·YogaPath sequence data — stay times as taught·one breath ≈ 5 s · ruler spans the published 35 min·ਸਮੀਖਿਆ ਜੁਲਾਈ 2026
Range changes slowly and only with repetition. A single long session moves almost nothing; three shorter sessions a week move a surprising amount over two months. The holds here are long — one to three minutes — because a short stretch changes how a muscle feels and a long one changes how far it goes. Warm up first; cold tissue does not lengthen, it resists.
The sequence, in order
Every pose name links to its full page — steps, muscles worked, common mistakes and who should skip it.
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1
Downward-Facing Dog Pose Adho Mukha Śvānāsana
1 minute
Start here and pedal the heels until the calves release.
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2
Standing Forward Bend Uttānāsana
2 minutes
Standing fold, knees soft, hanging heavy.
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3
Wide-Legged Standing Forward Bend Prasārita Pādottānāsana
2 minutes
Wide-legged fold with the hands on blocks or the floor.
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4
Low Lunge Añjaneyāsana
2 minutes each side
Low lunge, back knee padded, hips settling forward.
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5
One-Legged King Pigeon Pose Eka Pāda Rājakapotāsana
2 minutes each side
Pigeon with the hip supported on a block, or a deep squat if the knee objects.
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6
Bound Angle Pose Baddha Koṇāsana
2 minutes
Soles together, sitting on a block, folding only as far as the back stays long.
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7
Wide-Angle Seated Pose Upaviṣṭha Koṇāsana
2 minutes
Wide-legged seated fold over a cushion.
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8
Seated Forward Bend Paścimottānāsana
2 minutes
Seated fold over both legs, knees as bent as needed.
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9
Head-to-Knee Pose Jānu Śīrṣāsana
1–2 minutes each side
One knee out, folding over the straight leg.
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10
Cow Face Pose Gomukhāsana
1 minute each side
Cow-face arms and legs, with a strap and a block.
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11
Supine Spinal Twist Supta Matsyendrāsana
2 minutes each side
Supine twist to unwind the spine.
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12
Corpse Pose Śavāsana
5 minutes
Finish flat.
Before you start this sequence
- Read the cautions on the individual pose pages. Between them, the poses here rule themselves out for pregnancy, high blood pressure, glaucoma, and neck, knee, shoulder and wrist injuries — the details differ pose by pose.
- A sequence is an order, not a prescription. Leave out anything that hurts and the rest still works.
- If you are pregnant, recently post-surgical, or managing a health condition, get your doctor's view before starting, and learn from a qualified teacher in person.
General information only — not medical advice. Some asanas are unsuitable during pregnancy, injury or specific conditions. Learn from a qualified teacher and stop if anything hurts.
Notes on practising it
Expect the second side of every pose to feel better than the first. That is normal, and it is not a reason to do more on the first side next time.
How the ruler above was set out
- Each pose gets the stay time it is taught with — a count of breaths, or an inhale and an exhale where the movement is the transition.
- Breaths become clock time at one stated convention: one breath ≈ 5 seconds at an even practice pace. Nothing else on the ruler is assumed.
- The stays are laid across the published 35 minutes in proportion, so the seconds spent moving between poses sit inside the poses rather than vanishing.
- The energy figure uses the nearest published style code in the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities — 2.5 MET here — through the standard ACSM relationship for a 70 kg adult.
kcal = MET × 3.5 × kg ÷ 200 × minutes
= 2.5 × 3.5 × 70 ÷ 200 × 35
= 107 kcal for the whole practice
ਸਰੋਤ·2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities·2.5 MET · 70 kg reference adult·ਸਮੀਖਿਆ ਜੁਲਾਈ 2026
The wider activity dataset, covering everything that is not yoga, is at BurnLab.
Asked before class
How long does the Whole-body flexibility sequence take?
About 35 minutes for 12 poses at the stay times listed. Suggested volume: once through. At 2.5 MET — the nearest published code in the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities — that is roughly 107 kcal for a 70 kg adult.
Do I have to do the poses in this order?
The order is the point. Sequences are arranged so that each pose prepares the next one and answers the one before it — a backbend followed by a forward bend, a long hold followed by something that unloads it. Reordering them is fine once you know why they sit where they do.
Is the Whole-body flexibility sequence suitable for beginners?
It is rated intermediate. It assumes you already hold the beginner poses comfortably. If you are new, start with <em>A first practice</em> and come back to this one in a couple of months.
What do I need for it?
A mat, and for several poses a block and a strap — a folded blanket and a belt do the same job. Nothing here needs a studio.
Other hours on the timetable
Asana names are traditional. Every step, benefit and caution on this page is written for YogaPath rather than reproduced from any book, studio or other library — see how this site is written ਅਤੇ what it is written from. General information only — not medical advice. Some asanas are unsuitable during pregnancy, injury or specific conditions. Learn from a qualified teacher and stop if anything hurts.
ਸਰੋਤ·Published asana references·asana names, alignment and cautions as taught·ਸਮੀਖਿਆ ਜੁਲਾਈ 2026
The people behind these sites
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This site and nine others like it are built and photographed by two people: Amit Sharma — behind the build; Geeta Patel — the poses, demonstrated. New work goes up on Instagram and Facebook before it reaches a page here.
Amit Sharma
@amitsharmaofficial
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@geetapatelnz
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GeetaPatelYoga
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